Q: What's the best way to keep a
conversation going with a new prospect? Sometimes it seems too
quiet during my sales calls, and I'm not sure how to move the
conversation toward the sale.

A: Quiet is good-especially if
you're the one who's not saying anything. I know the
feeling, and I would agree it's darn uncomfortable to listen to
your heart beat (or should I say pound) during a sales call when
there is dead silence. However, there is a way to make sure that
during the silence something is actually going on. What follows is
a way to guide each sales call or any other conversation with your
prospects and customers to ensure a comfortable pace and a
profitable outcome.

Asking the Right Questions

Questions asked at the right time in the right order will ensure
that during the quiet times in a sales call, your prospect is
"processing" his or her thoughts and feelings about you,
your ideas and your products, services and solutions.

Start with an open-ended "prompting" question.
Generally speaking, these questions:

Cannot be answered with a simple yes or no.

Do not lead, control or try to manipulate the other
person.

Enable dialoging.

Begin with the words when, what, how, why or where.

Require thought to be answered.

Encourage the other person to reveal feelings.

Build rapport.

A note of caution: Closed-ended questions, unlike the kind
we've just examined, put an end to effective dialoging and will
not get you any closer to avoiding those uncomfortable periods of
silence. Therefore, you should totally avoid this type of
questioning as a means of continuing a conversation and getting
your prospect to open up to you and your ideas. One example of a
closed-ended question might be, "You're interested in
attracting new customers, right?"

The best place to use the closed-ended question is in a
situation where you need to validate or confirm what you think is
going on in your prospect's world. Generally speaking,
closed-ended questions:

Are useful to give feedback during a dialog.

Can be used to obtain specific information and/or confirm
facts.

During one of those periods of dead silence, if you need to make
sure you've heard the prospect correctly, you can use a
clarifying question. A good clarifying question might begin with
the words, "So, if I understand you correctly, you're
saying that...". Warning: You should always preface your
clarifying question with a statement such as this and then
creatively paraphrase what you think your contact's main point
is. It's a really bad idea to parrot back what you've just
heard your prospect say. That approach may be perceived as
condescending, sarcastic and disrespectful. (Ouch!)

Generally speaking, clarifying questions:

Secure the other person's approval and prove to a greater
degree that you've got a good understanding of what he or she
has said.

Express in your own words what you just heard.

Clear up differences in the definition of words and phrases
being used.

Clarify the meaning of "global" words (like
"always" and "never").

Typically, after you clarify with your prospect, you can then
use a developmental question to move the dialog in a desired
direction to further understand the prospect's purpose and/or
result he or she wants to achieve.

Generally speaking, developmental questions:

Encourage the other person to elaborate on what he or she just
said.

Begin to make it possible for the other person to show his or
her true feelings about the topic at hand.

Obtain further definition of what's under discussion.

Optionally, you can also use a directional question. These
questions steer the dialog to a certain direction that a
developmental question just uncovered. Directional questions are
like a road map of your conversation and allow the dialog to take
another path, one that's beneficial to uncovering the
prospect's purpose and needs.

Generally speaking, directional questions:

Move the dialog from one logical topic to another.

Invite the other person to participate in an informational
exchange.

Can be used to replace a closed-ended question you were tempted
to ask.

Important: Don't fall into the trap of using directional
questions to control or manipulate the prospect in any way. This
will destroy any business rapport you've built and reduce your
chances of making the sale.

Another question type you can use is called an opinion question.
This kind of question is extremely helpful in revealing where a
prospect stands on any particular issue, and it can be used to give
you more insight into someone's unique needs. Opinion questions
are also a nonthreatening way to ensure that the other person is
actually engaged in the dialog.

As a general rule, opinion questions:

Ask a direct question in a nonconfrontational way.

Get the other person to speak frankly and openly.

Allow the opportunity to share feelings.

Show esteem and respect for the other person.

Help to extend and prolong dialogues.

Finally, you can use what I call a social proof question, which
is an indirect way of getting the other person to realize that his
situation is similar to that of other people you've worked
with. As with any other reference to a third party, there is the
chance your contact will respond favorably to what you cite within
the question. On the other hand, there is a chance that the social
proof you introduce will be looked upon as competitive or
irrelevant to what's being discussed. Therefore, these
questions can be tricky.

Generally speaking, social proof questions:

Introduce a third party that is relevant to the
discussion.

May increase confidence that you can address the purpose and
needs of the other person.

Validate the other person's reasoning.

Can be used to address concerns or problems before they
arise.

Intelligent use of each of these question types will encourage
your prospect to begin to show his or her true feelings about the
subject under discussion and will build business rapport between
the two of you. And, most of all, it will add a bit of comfort for
you during the quiet times of your call.

The opinions expressed in this column are
those of the author, not of Entrepreneur.com. All answers are
intended to be general in nature, without regard to specific
geographical areas or circumstances, and should only be relied upon
after consulting an appropriate expert, such as an attorney or
accountant.

Tony Parinello

Tony Parinello has become the nation's foremost expert on executive-level selling. He's also the author of the bestselling book bearing the name of his sales training program,Getting to VITO, the Very Important Top Officer, 10 Steps...